Traveling through time, I'm making pancakes in Warhammer

Chapter 416 Faith

"There are many things in this world that even we cannot agree with or understand. We can of course choose to pretend that these things don't exist," Freya said. "But perhaps one day, when we get used to forgetting, these things we have long ignored and neglected will deal us the most fatal blow."

"For example, you are a good example," Freya said.

"Because I can make pancakes?" Howard asked.

"It's much more than that." Freya smiled. "Remember Gloria? She chose to serve Chaos out of hatred, but she chose to join us not out of hatred, but out of love."

"No, I don't think this has anything to do with love." Freya didn't know if it was intentional poking at the wound that didn't hurt Howard, so he retorted:

"It was just something that happened suddenly that caused her mind to waver for a moment, and then you took advantage of it. Many humans who joined you might have been like this. If she had been given time to calm down, to reflect and pray after her mind wavered, she might not have acted like this... But you never gave these people a chance to regain their faith."

Howard: "As long as you're targeting someone, a single moment of hesitation is enough to corrupt them, even if they've been pious for ten thousand years. In theory, you can corrupt anyone. As long as a person lives long enough and experiences enough, they'll always have moments of doubt and hesitation. I don't think this has anything to do with hatred or love. You're always the ones who truly dominate, and you don't need to find excuses to whitewash your actions."

"This is what you really think," Freya said. "Now you finally dare to say it out loud."

"I'm trying to help you understand," Howard replied. "Of course, what I'm saying might not be true, but you can definitely run some experiments. For example, take away the blessings of those who have already joined you, restore their sanity, and see how many of them are still willing to continue serving you."

"You have a point, but you're assuming a false premise," Freya said.

Howard: "Huh?"

"You assume that all people are inherently pious," Freya said. "You say these people's faith in us is false. Does that mean their faith in the false emperor is true?"

"Many people in the Empire have never received any blessing from the False Emperor since birth. It's just that the False Emperor's propaganda agencies are promoting their faith in him. Missionaries tell these people "For the Emperor," and the people around them also shout "For the Emperor," so they chant the same words. But they don't care what the Emperor is, what the Empire is."

Howard noticed that when Freya said the word "Emperor", her expression changed slightly. It seemed that as a demon, even pronouncing the word "Emperor" made her feel uncomfortable.

However, this also shows the power of this demon. You must know that the fate of some weak demons after uttering the word "Emperor" may not be discomfort, but they will be directly reduced to ashes. Therefore, the Chaos camp often uses "False Emperor" or "The Cursed" to refer to the Lord of Mankind.

"For example, some clergymen from the Empire once chose to serve us. They continued to preach doctrine to the people of their dioceses, but with slight 'modifications.' The end result was that the people in the dioceses still prayed, but we were the beneficiaries. How interesting! Many people in the Empire simply needed a belief to sustain them through their painful lives. They didn't really care what that belief was."

"In the past, there have been instances where warriors serving us, under the influence of the false emperor's power, blocked their blessings and committed suicide," Freya said. "But more often, believers who were once loyal to the false emperor abandoned their faith after learning the truth."

"I've studied the composition of the Empire's military, and I discovered an interesting position called the Political Commissar. This position is held by the most fanatical believers, and their most important duty is to punish or even execute any soldier whose faith wavers. You see, they won't even try to save them. Faith built in pain isn't faith; it's fear and lies."

Howard: "..."

Freya: "You said we took advantage of the False Emperor's wavering followers. But when believers waver, shouldn't their gods be the first to appear? This is actually an unfair competition. If we and the False Emperor simultaneously exert influence on a wavering believer, that believer will often return to the False Emperor's faith and become more devout than ever before, and will never waver again. But the truth is, the False Emperor only bestows blessings on those who are worthy. It seems that Miss Sister is insignificant in his eyes."

"Many followers of the False Emperor prayed in despair, but their gods never responded. They then came to realize the cruel truth: their gods simply didn't care about them, didn't love them at all. Ultimately, it was us who gave these lost souls a new home. We love his people more than the False Emperor does."

Finally, Freya looked Howard in the eyes and said, "The only reason you have good intentions and illusions towards the False Emperor and the Empire is because you are a human being. You were born and raised in the Empire. If you are like us, then your hatred for the Empire will surpass all of ours."

"If you could convince me, perhaps I could become your most loyal follower. But so far, you've only been constantly exposing the empire's dark side, without offering anything more convincing." Howard replied, still looking directly at Freya. "So if you still want to preach, I don't think it's necessary."

In the end, Freya was the first to look away, and she looked back at the city before her:

"Yes, I know. This is what I have been looking for. But if one day I really find something like this, then you will be worthless, because this is enough to declare our victory."

"It's almost time." Then Freya took Howard's hand again: "Come with me, let's see how far these little guys have come."